2014-10-22 - A Wild Stature Appears!
It's been a busy day! A volcano erupted in Norway leaving hundreds of unknown natives nearly dead, if the lava hadn't been stopped. A herd of nearly-extinct wildebeests managed to find its way off a cliff in Africa, which had to be dealt with very, very carefully. Each one of the herd was priceless and couldn't be damaged with super speed. There was a ton of crimes going on back home but they just had to wait, what with the missile falling from orbit, and the rabid ant-lions on neptune. Neptune, the little island off the pacific near Norway. Something about Norway lately... Getting back home, everything doesn't...sound wrong? There's definitely crime going on, but it appears the heroes of the city haven't been ignoring them. There's one busy now! A fifty foot tall person is standing by Central Park looking befuddled, holding a man with the traditional sock-over-the-face that usually designates a bank robber. Kara Zor-El flies down to where the giantess is busy. Honestly, at first she thought maybe it was Giganta or one of Wonder Woman's rogue's gallery or something. But she's blonde, too young looking (at least taking into account the 50 foot thing), and seems to have a uniform on which is not the whole 'Wilma Flintstone' look that Giganta is known for. Kara floats there while Stature is preoccupied holding the man. "So um.... I'm going to assume he's the bad guy and you're the good guy? The whole ski mask thing versus domino mask." Might as well just start the conversation outright. The rather oversized teen turns with obvious startlement to the voice, blushing with a six foot blush on her cheeks. She looks at Kara, visibly trying not to snap the guy's neck with her movements. The free hand waves, and she says, "Supergirl! Woah. Hi. Um, did you happen to see two others that look like this? I can't see through the trees over there, they were running away from the bank and I kind of assumed what with the guns and masks and holy nice to meet you!" And BREATHE! All in one breath, yes. Kara Zor-El smiles a little at how she manages to say all that without stopping. Well at least this person recognizes her. Makes the whole 'misguided fight before becoming friends' thing unnecessary, thank Rao. "Oh um... let me just check." She looks around with her telescopic and x-ray vision. Stature is a New Yorker. Who grows up in N.Y. and doesn't know Superman and Supergirl? She peers around a bit, actually growing slightly when Kara begins to help out. "Sorry, I've never done a crime before," she says as she waits. "My first one and it's a bank robbery, I was so excited I kind of missed two thirds of them." Kara Zor-El smiles and shrugs. "If it's any consolidation, when I first came to Earth I accidentally destroyed Gotham docks, beat up three dock workers who scared me, destroyed two police cars..." She counts on her finger. "Three if including the car that hit into me... Couple of traffic lights, building damage. Oh and a blimp. And that doesn't - oh wait. I see them. Big guys - you'd think they'd take off the masks. Want me to get them or you? They're running towards the subway entrance." The guy in Stature's hand seems to wish she'd missed three thirds of them, but trapped in that massive hand he's kind of not fighting anymore. There's a certain psychological advantage to looming over your enemy. She's kind of glad that Supergirl didn't mistake her for a bad guy though. Kind of removes the trope where the new hero gets mistaken for a villain and ...anyway. Glad that didn't happen. When Kara tells her where to look, she says, "Oh! Hey thanks, um, you'd better grab them. I don't know what to do with the one I've got and, to be honest," she pauses, grinning sideways with a massive smile, "I'm absolutely willing to take help. If you don't mind. I keep thinking I'm going to break them..." She trails off, sounding actually worried about that part. Kara Zor-El nods. "Yeah.... took me forever to know how much to hold back. Don't even get me started on knowing how much to turn my head when they punch me so they don't break the bones in their han- oh wait. Be right back." She looks at Stature from her floating position, then there's a blur and she's gone. For about 3 seconds, after which she's back, again floating in the air, with two guys screaming and dangling, one in each hand. Mainly because she's 50 feet up in the air with them. "Actually can you hold them? Pretty sure you can hold them in one hand, and they're going to fall if they KEEP SQUIRMING!" She says the last word directed to the two would-be robbers, who stop screaming a bit, but they still don't look particularly calm. Kara says, "Going to put both of you in this person's hands until the police come." to the bank robbers. Stature actually grows a good ten feet when Kara asks her to hold them. It appears to be intentional, and she pauses and hangs the guy she's got off of a lamp post by his shirt. "Just stay there for a minute, alright?" she tells him, giving a slightly sardonic grin. Then she reaches out and takes the other two, her oversized hands wrapping around their waists and relieving Kara of the burden. "I wasn't planning to do this today, really," she says, waving one of them kind of like a pencil to make a point. "I was just trying to figure out a few things and boom, gunfire. I'm sure you understand. You're a professional." Kara Zor-El nods. "Yeah. The whole crime thing doesnt seem to respect daily schedules." She grins a bit and sits in the air once Stature takes the two guys from her. "Hardly a professional. I mean... I've been doing this for about a year but I'm not my cousin or anything. Speaking of which, what's your name?" Stature looks at Kara quietly for a moment. "I've decided to go with Stature actually," she says, respecting the secret identity thing in front of the bank robbers. A camera flash from below makes her roll her eyes. "She says just as the papparazi show up. How do you people beat the cops every time?" To Kara she says, trying not to project too loud, "Can we continue the chat somewhere that I can not be so visible?" She seems a little anxious. Kara Zor-El smiles more. "Superspeed helps." Looking over at Stature, she says, "Sure. Um... you're able to shrink down I hope? I mean... I can probably carry you as is but - doesnt really seem like that would be LESS visible." Stature chuckles, her laugh sounding rather vibrant and warm. She does not act like it's her first time, really. There's a confidence as she reaches down and puts the bank robbers in the hands of the cops as they pull up, then she says, "I can sh...actually, that might be the easiest way. Here, catch," she says, as she stands up. Then she vanishes into nothingness, the cops wondering where she went. There's a tiny figure about the size of an ant falling through the air suddenly though, giggling like it's all a game. Kara Zor-El is confused at first. But thankfully there's super-vision. Kara grabs her quickly, letting her land in her hand and smiles. "Neat trick." She looks around. "Tell you what, if you're not allergic to cats, there's somewhere we can go that's guaranteed to not have police and paparazzi." Stature gives a tiny thumbs-up, wondering where she put her pants. She grows enough so that she thinks Kara will be able to hear her, unaware that kara could hear an ant whisper, and directs Kara to where her clothes are dropped. If that's okay. A short flight later, stopping for pants, and Kara and Stature are at her apartment building. As in, the girl owns an entire apartment building. She's been here a year and owns an apartment building. Kara lands on the balcony and sets Stature down. "Now um... you might want to grow to regular size. I have a cat. And he's ... kinda psychotic." Stature grows, pulling her pants on as soon as she does. "I wonder if I could just grow into my clothes," she muses, looking around. "Thanks for the ride, and the help. Flying is always a rush." She grins widely as she buttons her pants and tugs her t-shirt over her head. "Hope you don't mind the civvies. I still feel kind of naked in the tights." Kara Zor-El shakes her head. "Nooo nono, totally understand." she says, waving her hands around. "I prefer the whole civvies thing too. In fact, one sec." Blur. She's gone. Blur. She's back in civilian clothes. "Okay anyway, cmon in. If a cat attacks you, please just duck and cover." she says as she opens the balcony door to the penthouse. Kara's Penthouse - Barnabas Apartments - Metropolis(#1535RHJs) Peeking through the door before entering, Stature makes sure that she's not likely to get killed. After all, if supergirl is worried, it might be a sabertooth tiger she's referring to. Either way, there's still an exit and she's fair certain that she can get out before she's eaten. With no imminent death in sight, she comes in as bidden. "Wow," she says, finally impressed by something. "This room is bigger than my house. Actually, that tv is probably bigger than my house." She grins a bit, obviously impressed. Kara Zor-El smiles a little. "I started off by living with my cousin, then on this island called Themyscira? But when I went on my own I really didn't want to have to deal with glomming off my cousin. So I sorta sold some Kryptonian technology I had for a million dollar." She thinks. "Probably was worth a lot more but I just wanted to make sure I'd never have to worry about... you know.... buying clothes or whatever. Got the apartment building and just keep this apartment for me. Feel free to si- MROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Out of nowhere, a cat jumps at Stature, claws out for the kill. At least as far as cats think. Stature was, luckily, still watching for an attack of some sort. She'd been warned after all. And howling his/her attack cry before striking gave her time to turn. Stature gets her arm in the way in a classic animal jaw defense used for attack dogs in every self-defense seminar in the world, and gets her black undersuit clawed for the trouble. Which seems to seal itself back up the instant the claws went through; very interesting clothing technology. "Hey ow," she says, pulling her arm back and hopping up onto a chair. "I submit to your rulership already, calm." Kara Zor-El rubs the bridge of her nose. "Annnd that's Streaky. Streaky. STOP IT!" she says as Stature fends off the clawing attack for +2 damage to clothes. Kara grabs him by the scruff of his neck while Stature's on the chair, submitting to the real leader of the house. Kara says, "Bad. Stop it okay?" She looks at Stature. "I'm going to put him in the gym." Zoom - he's in there and Kara's back. "Really.... really sorry. Got him off the street sorta. Took him three months of breaking his nails on my skin until he stopped trying to claw me, too." Stature hops down from the chair, slipping the undersuit down the arm enough to check the damage. Not too bad, just annoying, she shrugs it off. "It's alright, I'm used to it," she says, relaxing quickly. "Seriously, I got kidnapped like once a month as a kid, you'd be surprised how much an angry cat resembles a super-villain sometimes." Kara Zor-El rubs her head a little. "Okaaaay. Only met a couple of other people who can do the growing and shrinking thing who arent criminals. You wouldnt know Hank Pym or Janet Van Dyne, would you?" Stature runs her fingers through her hair nervously, then pulls off the domino mask and sits in the chair she was standing on. "You could say that," she admits. "Cassandra Lang, nice to meet you. I grew up at Avengers Mansion with the hero horde. Ant Man was my father. The one who died." She stops being able to meet Supergirl's eyes for a moment, saying that. Kara Zor-El pauses. "Oh... sory, I didn't know. I mean, I've only met the one who didn't... I mean I didnt even know there WAS another one." She plays with her hair a little awkwardly as well. "Oh and you can call me Kara. Kara Zor-El." She looks around. "Soooooo you're new to doing this stuff, but been around hero types a lot then? Wonder what THAT must feel like." Stature turns and gives Kara a smile, nodding gently. "It's okay. You never get over it, but it gets easier." She crosses her legs and sits up a bit taller, saying, "My friends call me Cassie. And a few weeks ago I couldn't even DO this. Just kind of happened one day when I got really mad. I saw Avengers Mansion, the way it is now." Her fists clench, making squeaking noises on the chair, and she actually DOES grow a good two feet. "It...had an effect." Kara Zor-El tilts her head. "Um... you're not going to go gigantor on me right this second, in the apartment are you?" She pauses. "Wait, so one day, you got mad and just started spontaneously growing?" She thinks. "That's... well... really weird. I mean... Dr. Pym once asked me for help on a problem involving those Pym particles - he wanted to know what I could see with my eyesight since ... well... I can see down to the atomic level. Something about universal laws possibly changing after the whole merge thing between the universes." She walks over. "So... you don't have any sort of belt or anything - it just happens based on getting angry?" Stature answers the previous question a little, just out of habit. "The Avengers are just people, Kara. Kind of why I don't freak out a lot about you. You're not really that strange when you grow up wrestling with Ben Grimm for cookies." She tilts her head to listen though, nodding thoughtfully, and tacks on, "Gotta be honest? About the growing, I really don't know yet. Still figuring it out some. I mean, I can," she shrinks down to half size, then up to double, then back to normal, quick as the eye can follow. "I can do that by thinking small or big, but it just kind of...I dunno. Sometimes yeah, it happens when I get angry." She shrugs her normal sized shoulders, shaking her head. "You're not going to tell me to stop though. Because I won't." "You sounded like you're going to be all mature and tell me not to keep being a hero. I won't. This is what I'm doing now and I won't stop. Not for anyone." Kara Zor-El looks confused. "I wasnt asking you to stop doing the superhero thing. Just.... asked you to not grow to 50 feet in my apartment. Pretty sure it's not built for that." ooc Cassie's on the defensive because Mom hates super heroes and she's trying to figure out how to tell her. Stature sighs. She looks down at the rug quietly. Closing her eyes, she shrinks a little and says, "Sorry. I'm sorry. It just...sounded like you were going to tell me to stop doing it. Asking if I had it under control. You have NO idea how often I heard that speech. Oh, the new kid's not quite strong enough, keep him out of it til he's got it controlled. Blah." Looking up again, she smiles weakly. "All I really wanted was just to make my dad proud. Then I saw the mansion and ...I wish I could DO something about it. It's so..." she makes some wavey motions with her hands, trying to convey destruction of a building somehow. "Gone." Kara Zor-El winces. "Yeah... I know about that. One of the big enemies of me and my cousin did that. Called Darkseid. He also kidnapped a friend. We're planning on going after him on his planet." She pauses, then has an idea. "We could do something to rebuild the mansion though." Stature tilts her head, looking askance at Kara. "Seriously?" she says, latching onto the one part of the conversation that relieves some of her internal issues. "Wait, wait wait," she says, shaking her head. "I would LOVE to get your help fixing the mansion. You have absolutely no idea how much I want to do that, right the hell now. But you need to be going to the other planet, your friend's in trouble NOW. Much as I love my home, it's a house and it'll wait. A bit longer. Anyway." Kara Zor-El nods. "It's a little more complicated than that though. Donna, you see, she died and Darkseid brought her back from the dead and brainwashed her." She pauses. "He does that. he brainwashed me once to almost kill my cousin. And he has an entire planet of what they call new gods who do whatever he commands. It's going to take planning and numbers. Last time, my cousin and 3 of his friends went there to get me back when I was brainwshed... and it took almost blowing up the entire planet to just get me back." She crosses her arms. "The mansion, that's something easy by comparison." Stature sighs a little. She shrugs to go along with it, seeming to relax visibly, and says, "It would be good to have the base of operations back, even if I'm not allowed in it. Maybe they'd cut me some leeway if they saw me doing some good...the Avengers don't really approve of me going Hero yet...but they can't stop me from helping with the house!" She flexes her biceps, showing she's actually GOT biceps which is kinda odd in a skinny teen. "Going to have to get used to it one way or the other, because Stature is not going away." Kara Zor-El shrugs. "You know... there are other superhero groups you can be a member of. Like... and a lot of my friends are in a group called the Titans. We're sort of centered in San Francisco. I could show it to you if you'd like?" Stature can handle fighting titans. She can handle Doctor Doom. She could even tell Superman to back off from something she's doing, if she believed in it. But the thought of telling her mom that she's leaving New York? That sets her on her butt. "Uh...let me get back to you on that?" she says, her eyes kind of glazing over. "Maybe one thing at a time for now..." Kara Zor-El nods and smiles. "No problem. Hey... if you ever want to hang out. Superhero stuff or just normal stuff, let me know. Okay? I can fly you back home if you'd like?" "Tempting, but I want oh my is that clock accurate?" She looks at the clock in the room, then at her celphone. Cheap one, she keeps losing them. "I am in SO much trouble I have to get home!" She looks for her shoes, pulls those on, and hops toward the door as she yanks the shoe onto her right foot. Kara Zor-El watches as Cassandra gets all worried about being late. Kara tries to mention that she can get her home really quickly. "You know I can get-" She watches some more as Cassandra almost falls over getting her shoes on. "Cassandra?" Stature starts texting her mom telling her that she's on her way, saying, "Wait, what?" She's actually really fast at texting. "Oh. Right. Rightright." Looking at Kara she says, "Um, yes please?" Kara Zor-El smiles. "As I was saying, I can fly from here to San Francisco in about a minute. I'm pretty sure I can get you home within a neighboring city - because we're right now in Metropolis, not New York anymore.... in the same time it would take you to get your shoes on. No need to fret about the parental units." Stature says, "Oh. To be honest right now I'm more worried about getting home. It's bedtime and there's school in the morning..." Kara Zor-El smiles and takes ahold of Stature. "Do me a favor, close your eyes, and take a deep breath and count to three. Oh and first tell me your address." Once she hears the address, she's off - with Stature picked up. There's a sound of whirring and a feeling of motion, then by the time you count to two, ' 1.... 2....' the feeling of motion stops and you're set back on your feet. Kara smiles and puts her hand on her hip lightly. "And three. This is the address right?" Stature gives the address, puts her phone in her pocket, and closes her eyes. And a moment later, she opens them again, giving a little 'whee' that seems like she wishes it could have been more. "I used to love those rides. Thought I was too big for them. Thank you so much, I might only be grounded for a week now." She waves but turns quickly to head inside the well-lit house, calling out. "I'm here..." Not 'I'm home'. Home is somewhere else. Not a happy household, but it's hers.